Two ships, one carrying Liquid Natural Gas and the other – oil products, have collided in Eygpt’s Suez Canal. The canal has only been closed 5 times previously due to tanker collisions, the most recent being in 2021, when the ‘Ever Given’ owned by Japanese shipbuilding subsidiary Shoei Kisen Kaisha, ran aground and blocked the vital shipping route for 6 days. Tanker collisions are not uncommon in the canal, with no reports of any loss of the cargo of either ship. The Cayman Islands ‘Burri’ tanker is reportedly carrying a total of 64,555 Tons of cargo, while the Singaporean ‘BW Lesmes’ is carrying a total of 115,338 Tons.
Tug operations are underway, which consist of smaller boats ‘tugging’ the ships to the port. Currently, there are no signs that the collision will have any major impact on the canal’s shipping functions.
Latest reports have noted the return of navigation traffic to the canal.
